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Cubs vs. Padres: Series Thread (Games 143-146)

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 09/09/2019 - 11:33am

This weekend saw the Cubs lose three out of four to the trailing Brewers, fall to 4.5 behind the Cardinals in the division, and shrink their Wild Card lead to 1.5 games with the D-Backs, Phillies, and Brewers all pounding on the door behind them. Meanwhile, fans got news that Javy's jammed thumb is actually a fracture, and Russell was hit in the face with a fastball. If this didn't feel like a turn in the wrong direction, the team's inability to capitalize on the rally after Russell was hit felt like a failure to turn in the right direction. Nico Hoerner is called up to reinforce the middle infield, and maybe the rookie will be able to invigorate the team and the fans after the disappointing series in Milwaukee. He and the rest of the Cubs will take on the Padres for four games on the west coast. Continue below for match-ups.

Hendricks went six solid innings last time out, allowing one earned run on a walk and three hits to Seattle. He lost his other start against the Padres this year but allowed only two runs in seven innings in that start. Hunter Renfroe, Travis Jankowski, and Eric Hosmer have all had some success against him in limited at bats.

Quantrill defeated the Cubs on July 21, shutting them out for 5.2 and allowing only two hits. He pitched in relief of opener Adrian Morejon hat day. Rizzo and Kyle Hendricks have the only his off of him.

Quintana earned the lone win in the Brewers series, pitching five innings and allowing four earned runs but benefiting from a booming Cubs offense. He similarly won out against the Padres on July 20, despite allowing five earned runs, including three homers, in five innings. Hosmer has only a .529 OPS against him in 74 at bats.

Bolaños took a loss in his MLB debute, allowing two earned runs in six innings of work against the D-Backs. He leaned heavily on his mid-to-upper-90s fastball in that start, mixing in a smaller portion of sliders, slow curves, and the occasional changeup as well. Having made the jump from AA to the majors, this is his first exposure to the juiced MLB baseball. May he begin to feel its effects.

Hamels departed his last start after only 3.1, allowing five earned runs to Milwaukee in his second consecutive start against that offense. He allowed nine hits, two homers, in that 3.1 innings. He was on the I.L. for the last round against the Padres. Machado is 1-14 and Hosmer 0-13 off he veteran lefty.

Paddack was handed a no-decision after 5.1 scoreless innings in his last start. He's relied on strikeouts to a great extent in his debut season, K-ing more than a batter per inning while limiting walks but allowing a fair amount of contact in the air and 1.53 homeruns per nine innings. He missed the Cubs in July.

Darvish allowed one walk and three hits while striking out seven and shutting out the Brewers for five innings in his last start. Perhaps Petco can help him keep the ball in the park, his one consistent shortcoming this season. He hasn't faced the Padres this year. He's held Hosmer to 2-14 in his career.

After missing 2018, Lamet has returned to make eleven starts with the Padres this season. In that time he's thrown his slider 43.9% of the time and his changeup on 1.4% of the time; splits favor left-handed batters. Lamet missed the Cubs in July, but the Cubs faced him way back in May of 2017 in his second MLB start. He won that match, in which Schwarber (1-2) took him deep and Heyward went 2-2.

Much luck to the Rockies, who welcome the Cardinals for three games starting on the 10th.

I thought so too. I never had a problem with her writing. I don’t think the modern day beat writer is ever really going to write anything that isn’t safe. She was always there though which to me is the most important thing about a beat writer.

The Cubs optioned RHP Adbert Alzolay to South Bend and recalled RHRP James Norwood from Iowa.

It was a paper move only because Alzolay is not going to actually physically join the South Bend Cubs, but even so Alzolay could - ONLY - be optioned to South Bend because a player cannot be optioned to a club's minor league affiliate whose season has ended, and South Bend is the only Cubs minor league affiliate still playing.

hit it off the thin part of the bat guessing location wrong. his swing plane was on target, but the barrell wasn't. he missed the pitch before quite badly, pulled swinging on a ball off the outer corner. being able to make contact counts for something as long as you're not pounding it into the infield grass, though.

he's getting a lot of chances with the glove so far tonight through 3ip. looks comfortable, but not as smooth as baez/russell.

he let a few go toward rizzo a few feet off target, though rizzo's snagged them.

...then you got a guy like steve cishek who's throwing quite good baseball overall in 2019, but has had a unique talent of blowing games at the same time. pedro strop (arguably the best relief pitcher in cubs history) has been joining cishek in blowing games, but his numbers are looking like someone who's blowing games.

there's been annoying injuries, but the team has had adequate backups who can hit and the injuries haven't left the team hobbled. there's ob% and power on this team in the lineup and on the bench.

CHARLIE: Of the five contending years since the Cubs got good in 2015, the 2019 version is the most disappointing. The games are actually hard to watch.

The 2019 Cubs remind me of an NFL team that gets out to a double-digit lead over a clearly inferior opponent through three quarters and then plays a "prevent victory" defense and can't protect the lead and then after blowing the lead the kicker misses a chip-shot FG that would have won the game, or an NBA team that doesn't exert the energy to make defensive stops in the 4th quarter and then after allowing the opponent back in the game misses free throws at the end that would have won the game anyway, or an NHL team that can't convert power plays throughout the game and then blows a two-goal lead in the last five minutes and then falls flat in overtime, or a golfer who squanders a four-shot lead going into the back nine and then can't make easy putts over the last two holes that would have sealed the victory.

Although the contending window for the current Cubs team is through 2021, I suspect there will be some major changes made after this season. There is something wrong with the mix. Problem is, the Cubs aren't exactly loaded with trade chips that would have value to other clubs. One possibility would be to re-sign Nicholas Castellanos and then trade Kris Bryant for a younger less-established MLB player with upside or a couple of quality MLB-ready or near-MLB ready prospects (somebody like Luis Robert would be perfect), since Bryant is a Boras client and so therefore absolutely will not sign a contract extension before hitting free-agency post-2021.

And then there is the Cincinnati Reds, who seem to be taking a "no rebuild as long as Joey Votto is here" approach and therefore might have interest in acquiring Cincinnati native Kyle Schwarber and/or former U. of Cincinnati All-American Ian Happ. (Nick Senzel would be a good long-term fit at 3B if Bryant is traded, and young MLB relievers like Amir Garrett and/or Robert Stephenson would be attractive bullpen pieces).

Off-hand I would say a top-of-the-order power/speed/OBP spark like the 2015-16 version of Dexter "You Go We Go" Fowler is one really obvious missing piece (which is why I mentioned Luis Robert), as is the lack of reliable shut-down bullpen arms, and not just the closer, but everybody in the pen (which is why I mentioned Garrett and Stephenson). At least the Cubs (finally) started to look in-house for bullpen candidates, so hopefully they won't be tempted to allocate $20M+ in 2020 payroll to journeymen "thirty something" free-agent relievers.

The bottom line is, the Cubs need to get younger in 2020 without starting another rebuild.

Schwarber slipping on first base and falling on his face on what should have been a double with 17 games to go in the year - yeesh. Would have been fitting if the throw from right field back-picked him for an out.

That said, at least KB hit a ball deep enough to drive in Rizzo this go around.

Recent comments

A's have decided to not be horrible and to pay their minor leaguers through the end of the season (august)

"“I changed my mind after spending a lot of time talking to our team,” A's owner John Fisher told the Chronicle. “I concluded I’d made a mistake. I’ve listened to our fans and others, and there is no question that this is the right thing to do. We clearly got this decision wrong. These players represent our future and we will immediately begin paying our minor-league players. I take responsibility and I’m making it right.""

I'm in. What more do we need, really. A beer. A game or two. The 162 game season can wait until next year (I hope). Have fun with a micro-mini season. Let the powers fight over the labor agreements. They can finish by next spring, right?

IN BRIEF (Tribune, from their mini-sports section): In a letter, MLB rejects players’ plan for 114 gamesNews servicesMajor League Baseball rejected the players’ proposal for a 114-game schedule in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts, telling the union that teams have no reason to think 82 games is possible and now will discuss even fewer.Players made their proposal Sunday, five days after management’s initial economic plan.

I agree. Laura is the real deal. I think she was the major influence that showed Tom R. and Crane Kenney how to show a "human side" and deal realistically and in a non-threatening way, with the local Chicago politicians. Kenney was clearly clueless in his initial attempts regarding the neighborhood, the Rooftop owners, and the Wrigley Field rebuild.